Assessment of the functional diversity and bioprospection of genes involved in degradation of hydrocarbons and transformation of heavy metals in mangrove sediments

Abstract

Brazil holds one of the largest mangroves extensions in the world, an ecosystem very rich in biodiversity, including aquatic animals, birds, reptiles, mammals and microorganisms. In Brazil, mangroves are areas of permanent environmental protection. Despite this, mangroves have been highly exposed to antropic activities, including oil spill and industrial wastes that carry heavy metals. Microorganisms found in the environment can adapt to the presence of pollutants and develop survival mechanisms. In spite of the great diversity and of the relevance of the microorganisms found in mangroves, no research has been carried out about this subject in Brazil. Although improvements in the in vitro techniques to recover microorganisms from these sites have been made, a high number of microorganisms were not recovered yet and, thus, the knowledge of the mangrove microbiota remains still incipient. In this context, the current project aims to employ a metatranscriptomics approach based on the direct extraction of the total RNA of the microbial community present in environmental samples, allied to construction of DNA complementary libraries (cDNA), following their analysis. This approach will be used to investigate the presence and biodiversity of metabolically active genes of great relevance for decontamination of impacted areas. These studies can lead to the discovery of novel genes involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons and in the transformation of heavy metals, which in turns, may have a potential application in biotechnological processes and to generate knowledge about the functional and phylogenetic diversity of the microbiota found in Brazilian mangroves.